After nine straight quarters of growth, worldwide PC shipments dropped by 4.9 percent year-over-year, according to IDC. The research firm places the blame for the decline squarely on the memory chip shortage driven by the AI arms race. [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/image.webp?quality=90&strip=all]

IDC warns smaller players may struggle as DRAM drought drags on

After nine straight quarters of growth, worldwide PC shipments dropped by 4.9 percent year-over-year, according to IDC. The research firm places the blame for the decline squarely…